BRYN MAWR, Pa. - The 22nd-ranked Haverford College women's lacrosse team (10-3, 5-1 CC) defeated host Bryn Mawr (7-7, 0-6 CC) on Wednesday by a 17-6 final at Applebee Field. With the win, the Fords' win streak is now up to five, the program's longest win streak since the 2018 season. Haverford has three regular season games remaining as they gear up for what looks like a trip to the postseason.
The Fords this year have played a travel-heavy schedule, playing nine games away compared to just four at home. However, that hasn't slowed down the team in the slightest. In fact, many of the Fords' key and most emphatic wins have come away from home. Haverford currently has seven wins on the road. Compared to their last full season in 2019, that's a four-win improvement with one more away contest left on the schedule.
Haverford has Sam Silverman to thank for the quick start against the Owls. Although Roma Hladky scored the Fords' opening goal, four goals in the first period from Silverman propelled the offensive performance. The junior seemingly got whatever shot she wanted as she weaved through the Bryn Mawr defense on multiple occasions.
The first period ended with Haverford comfortably holding an 8-1 lead over the hosts. Callie Crawford was the only other scorer for Haverford in the opening frame. At the same time, Katharine Ference and Lia Herzig each provided an assist.
Bryn Mawr adjusted their defense slightly in the second period, which seemed to slow the Fords down significantly. Lia Herzig opened the scoring for Haverford at the 13:05 mark, but the Fords didn't score again until two minutes remained in the half. Then, finally, Nancy Tucker's goal ended an eleven-minute scoreless drought. With 40 seconds remaining on the clock, Julia Curran netted her first of the game as Haverford went into halftime leading 11-1.
After a first-half to forget, Bryn Mawr battled back in the opening two minutes of the third. The Owls scored the first two goals of the period behind goals from Nina Houri and Camille Franklin. However, Haverford answered quickly as Roma Hladky scored her third of the game to put an end to the run.
The Owls weren't flustered following the goal from Haverford's reigning Centennial Conference Player of the Week. The hosts got right back to work and scored their third goal of the period, tripling their output from the entire first half. Bryn Mawr goalie Elizabeth Tompkins was the heart and soul of the third-period performance. Through three periods, she recorded seven saves. Still with no goal in the second half, Haverford pushed on, looking to get some sort of daylight on offense. However, the Owls' defense caused multiple turnovers as the Fords failed on a few clear attempts.
The score held steady at 12-4 as the clock winded down, and the contest saw its second scoreless drought of over ten minutes. Bryn Mawr ended the drought after Sierra Hamilton netted her first goal of the game. It was a spirited performance from the Owls. They outscored Haverford 4-1 in the period and trailed 12-5 going into the final stanza.
Bryn Mawr continued to pressure Haverford by scoring the first goal of the fourth. However, the Fords finally found the back of the cage when Crawford scored her third goal at the ten-minute mark. Haverford showed signs of life after Tiffany Mikulis scored two goals to give her team an eleven-goal lead. The Fords saw the game out with a few more goals from Hladky, who finished the game with five goals total. The Fords played Sarah Cahn and Annie Bravacos for one half each as they combined for seven saves. Hladky finished the game with three ground balls while Silverman finished with two. Curran and Ference both caused two turnovers on the afternoon.
Haverford will be on the road for the final time in regular season play when women's lacrosse takes a trip to Swarthmore on Saturday, April 23. The first draw of the game is scheduled for 3 p.m.